Published: October 16, 2008 10:25 am      

Tough stretch ends with River Kings still in hunt

We knew this stretch would be tough.

Go all the way back to Sept. 11 when the Clinton football team stood at 2-0. Emotions were running high and the team and its fans were whispering of a potential playoff berth.

Since then, those whispers have amplified, but a playoff berth still isn’t guaranteed. The reason the River Kings haven’t sewn up a berth — Clinton’s grueling stretch where they’ve faced teams with a combined 24-11 record.

Even from a guy who grew up in the western part of the state, I knew how tough Bettendorf and Davenport Assumption were on a yearly basis.

Sprinkle in solid programs like Muscatine, Burlington and Pleasant Valley, and Clinton ran into a buzzsaw for the last five weeks.

On a high note, that stretch is over and if the playoffs started today, Clinton would be in. On a more depressing note, Clinton still must take care of business the next two weeks against an improved Davenport Central squad and second-place North Scott to assure a playoff bid.

These last five weeks have only produced one win, a historic one against Davenport Assumption, but they’ve provided some lasting memories and near misses.

Clinton missed out on a chance to start 3-0 by one point in a game most eloquently described as being played in a swamp. If Clinton faces Muscatine a week earlier, it may not have to contend with Edwin Arceo at quarterback, who has reenergized the Muskies after a 1-3 start. And then who could forget last week’s game against Pleasant Valley, where upon further review (after watching it on Mediacom) the returners knee did hit the ground for Pleasant Valley before the half, which would have made the score 3-0 going into halftime, instead of 10-0.

That’s a big difference not only on the scoreboard, but also in the psyche of high school players.

This stretch eats at players, coaches and fans, and also opens the temptation to scapegoat the current situation on several entities. This isn’t the time to say the team loses just because little “Johnny” isn’t playing or because someone doesn’t like the play-calling.

Right now, fans, coaches and players must band together to achieve the most important aspect on the table — beating Davenport Central.

Sure a break here or there could be the difference in Clinton staring at a two, maybe even a one-loss season, but for the River Kings to earn a playoff berth that doesn’t matter right now.

The Blue Devils will be a tall task. They were competitive against Muscatine, Burlington and North Scott, and nearly pulled off the upset against Davenport Assumption. So don’t let the 1-6 record fool you.

Last year, an improved and winless Davenport West squad shocked Clinton in the season’s second-to-last game, so don’t overlook the Blue Devils in anticipation of 6-1 North Scott coming to town.

What’s important for Clinton is to get off to a good start, and relieve some pressure currently being placed on each player’s shoulder as the playoffs loom. If they do that, the River Kings should be fine and that win would almost (I want to stress this is all speculative) virtually guarantee a playoff berth. Only one way is a sure-fire entry into the playoffs and that’s to win both games, but that can’t happen unless Clinton takes care of business Friday. One thing’s for certain, this new expanded playoff format has made high school football extremely relevant to teams who just last year would be looking toward next season already.